Anindito earned his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia, and Master and Doctor of Philosophy in Education both from the University of Sydney, Australia. He was granted Georg Forster Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and a recipient of the University of Sydney International Scholarship and Australian Development Scholarship. His latest research was titled “Education, Democracy and the Legacy of Conflict: Prospects and Challenges of History and Civic Education in Indonesia” and his articles have appeared in the British Journal of Religious Education and the International Journal of Science Education.

Abstract

Striving for Quality in a Large and Diverse Education System: Indonesia’s Merdeka Belajar Reform

Indonesia is currently embarking on an ambitious attempt to transform its education system. The transformation, dubbed Merdeka Belajar (or Emancipated Learning), aims to provide the opportunity for all students to develop foundational competencies and character qualities. While the goal is certainly not unique, what differentiates Merdeka Belajar is perhaps its scope and scale. In this talk I will describe the key programs and policies of Merdeka belajar, along with the theory of change which informs the design of those programs. In doing so, I will touch upon how English teaching and learning is positioned within the Merdeka Belajar transformation.